December 22, 2011

Brake ... for Elephants...

Part of my Transport Department Library job occasionally requires that I do research for obscure reference queries.

Today I was searching worldwide historic train crash records online and came across two different crashes involving Elephants. (This alas was NOT the research the client needed but I thought I would share the information with my Happy Blogging friends)

  • September 15, 1885 – St Thomas, Ontario: Express goods train hauled by a Grand Trunk Railway locomotive hits a dwarf Asian elephant on an embankment. The elephant is thrown down the embankment by the collision; the trains engineer throws the locomotive into reverse, but is unable to prevent a rear-end collision with an African elephant, killing it and derailing the locomotive and tender.

  • 1891 – Delta, California: Elephant travelling as a passenger on a Southern Pacific train removes a coupling pin from a car. The train parts, and the forward portion travels 20 miles before the locomotive crew discover the split.
 
 
I am trying to find out more information on the 1885 incident - was it a close encounter with the Traveling Circus? - a break out from the Local Zoo?    Interested parties (well.. not the actual Library one) wish to know!
 
Dwarf Asian Elephant?

1 comment:

  1. Rather strange but interesting stories. If you learn more, please tell us.

    Love,
    Lola

    ReplyDelete